As the metal world waits in anticipation of ENSLAVED’s next album, three of its members have chosen to embark on an experimental musical detour with the release of TRINACRIA’s Travel Now Journey Infinitely. Joining the ENSLAVED crew of Ivar, Grutle and Ice are Maja Ratjke and Hild Tafjord of Norwegian noise group FE-MAIL. Comissioned by the Norwegian government, the project is designed to combine ENSLAVED’s prog-metal textures with FE-MAIL’s noise-ridden soundscapes. The end result however, is a fairly safe, predictable run through of ideas that aren’t necessarily bad, but are not particularly unique or groundbreaking either.
Split into six parts, Travel Now Journey Infinitely offers up the following: By-the-numbers tributes to fellow countrymen RED HARVEST with opener “Turn Away” and “Breach” which both deliver plenty of drone, noisy sonics and tribal drum action. A tribute to NEUROSIS via “Endless Roads” also makes an appearance, at times veering so close for comfort that the listener practically expects Steve Von Til to show up for a guest appearance. For ENSLAVED fans there’s both “The Silence” and “Make No Mistake” in which the boys play it close to the vest, delivering a duo of tracks that could have just as easily been on Ruun were it not for a few shrill, ear piercing noise textures chucked in by the members of FE-MAIL.
Closing out the new album is the epic title track, which isn’t bad, but doesn’t really go anywhere leaving the listener somewhat shortchanged. Given the relatively short amount of time the band were given to create the album, inconsistencies were bound to be inevitable, still when one expects greatness and only gets “OK,” disappointment rears its ugly head. Despite this, TRINACRIA’s debut nonetheless offers reliable, capable performances of decent material. Provided you don’t mind shelling out a few bucks for some competent performances exploring territory you have already heard before, by all means, pick up a copy. But if you are looking for a little more substance, ENSLAVED’s Vertebrae should be available any day now. (Indie Recordings)
